Euronews

The new Italian prime minister joined other leaders in criticising his British counterpart.

Mario Monti said David Cameron had made demands that were unacceptable, and the UK’s isolation was a shame because it was “good to have a counterweight to countries like France”.

Euronews asked him what the consequences for the Single European Market would be, after the British ‘no’.

Mario Monti replied:

“It won’t be so relevant, because the European market will continue substantially to be developed by the 27 (member states). Of course, if the United Kingdom had been at the heart of the eurozone, with France, Germany and Italy… or at least, even without the euro, if Britain hadn’t contemptuously excluded itself… it would have been a UK that counts for more, with more influence. And given that Great Britain has competition and the single market in its own DNA, this (staying in) would have been a stronger move with benefits for all 27 countries”.